I received a copy of this from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Thao's first book, and this one was just fine. I found myself put off by the main character. It was clear he was dealing with grief but it took a long time for the reasons for the grief to be revealed. I also was confused by whether Haru was ever real? Even though I wasn't really attached to the characters, and this felt more like an introspection in floundering, I did end up tearing up at the end.

I spent about 95% of this book enthralled but thinking 'wow who's crying over this? they're so weak!" and then I spent the last 5% of the book almost unable to see the words as I sobbed like a baby. I knew going into this that it was billed as a book that would be as sad as "They Both Die at the End" and while that book was devastating, "When Haru Was Here" hit me right at home with the sorrow of losing someone you love.

The writing was beautiful, as I have come to expect from Dustin Thao, and the characters of Eric and Haru were well thought out. The complexities of grief and how one deals with it were explored deeply, thoughtfully, and with care, showing that we can never really know what grief will do to us.

If you're in need of a cry, grab your tissues and pick up a copy of this book!

I sobbed when I read Dustin Thao's first book and that was exactly what happened when I read this one. I love a book that makes me feel emotions really strongly and this book did just that. I felt for Eric and what he was going through and dealing with. I also love Dustin's different ways that he portrays dealing with grief. Its very realistic as no two people deal with grief in the same way.

Great concept, but it didn't pull me in like I hoped. It was quite sweet and sad, but I didn't fully connect to Eric.

I couldn’t finish reading this book. When reading I felt like at times the author mixed up the characters and made reading very confusing. I was lost most of the time. I do plan on reading when published and hope that it is better.

Just when I thought that maybe this wasn’t as emotional as the first, I was in tears by the end.
This was so good!!.
Grief is really hard to write well because just other emotions we all experience it differently. Our mind works in different ways to protect ourselves. Eric Ly really frustrated me with some of his choices, but it wasn’t until the later part of the book when it all made sense.
I don’t know what else to say without spoiling anything. I highly recommend it!

I sobbed reading this author's debut so I was so excited to get to this. While this book has very similar themes, it didn't make me cry. Could be the format, but this didn't hit me as hard in the heart as You've Reached Sam. This story though still deals with grief like the author's previous book, but this time from a male perspective. And also deals with a coming of age while dealing with grief. The main character is gay, into film, and is having a hard time dealing with the loss in his life. This book hits pretty hard and makes you question the truth and his mind, but still is so good.

I adored Dustin Thao's last book, beyond all words. I've purchased and gifted multiple copies. As such, I was really surprised that this one didn't hit at all for me. I ended up stopping at the 27% mark. It all felt rather disjointed and a bit smooshed-together. The writing style carries. It was the story itself. I'd definitely give the author another try.

I don't know how this will go over with the target audience. I feel like it's going to be either a hit-or-miss without much middle ground.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

It made me cry and now I'm going to the books signing for it lol, take that how you will. It was good and so was the previous book this author wrote.

📖When Haru Was Here
✍️ Dustin Thao
🗓️ Sep 03 2024
📝 St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books


“You’ve Reached Sam” had me in tears last year. So I had pretty high expectations for this one as well, and guess what, this exceeded all my expectations.
Dustin Thao is a brilliant writer who makes you feel all the emotions, the good, the bad, the ugly. It’s quite beautiful to wittiness actually. For me it’s incredibly rare that an author gets me crying. I’ve finished this book in a hot second and I’m still thinking about it. All the marks for a perfect read.

this exploration of loss, grief and living is done so well, with all the care in the world. It especially shows that there is no real concept dealing with grief. It’s messy, it’s raw, it makes no sense. We do what we have to do to protect ourselves and cope.

I had chills and goosebumps.
⭐️Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced copy. All opinions are my own, I was under no obligation to review.

I am currently supporting the boycott against St. Martin’s Press until they respond to influencer’s concerns about safety, inequality, systemic issues at hand and also meet the demands of the boycott. I am looking forward to leaving an updated review for this book once the demands are met ❤️

As someone who lost their best friend at 20 this book felt very personal. It was an interesting take on grief and I devoured every second. Also I fell in love with haru immediately and I enjoyed the ending (trying not to give spoilers 😬). Thank you netgalley for the e arc!

Thank you Wednesday Books and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. Heartbreaking! Eric’s life began to change when his sister moved away for college, then the unthinkable happens, his best friend Daniel dies. Not only was Daniel Eric’s best friend but his first love. He feels aimless with life until he remeets Haru. Haru is a boy he spent an incredible day with while on a class trip. The day could have been something more but Daniel was waiting for Eric. Now it seems Haru may just be the one to help Eric process his grief. Except Haru keeps disappearing and reappearing at difficult times. Can he move on with Haru or will Haru leave him too? Definitely be prepared to have your heart ripped out with this one! Dustin Thao’s story of loss and ultimately hope will have you feeling all your feels! Heartbreakingly beautiful, sad, and hopeful! Have the Kleenex’s close when you read!

This was a book that I was ready for the ending but hit even harder than I thought it would. I was crying so badly but I was also so happy with the ending. This book was truly an amazing book. I felt all the pain Eric went through. Haru was really the friend we met along the way. I so badly wanted him to be real. I wanted him to be there. I wanted Eric to just experience some happiness. I’m really glad he was about to get it in New York. I’m hoping that real Haru can love him truly.

I literally howled at the moon, making ear-bleeding sounds as I cried my eyes out after reading "You've Reached Sam." So, when I got my hands on another Dustin Thao book, I was beyond excited. Maybe a masochistic part of me needed a good cry! I knew from the first page that my heart would break, but I was ready for it. Pass the hot sauce, please! Without pain, how can we truly appreciate life's great little moments?

This book is one of the toughest reads to grade. I fell in love with parts that touched my heartstrings, but I also hated other parts. It’s rare to read a book that swings between two stars and five stars, only to dip back down again. The author sometimes took aimless directions that dragged the main character, who acted like he was walking on clouds and making illogical decisions from the start.

After gathering my thoughts and embracing the emotions the book evoked, I focused on the sentimental parts and gave it 3.5 stars. I debated rounding it up to 4 or down to 3, but ultimately, because of the grieving heart and the beautiful cover art, and my dedication to the author after his first book, I rounded it up to 4 stars.

Still, I’m not satisfied with the misdirection and aimless wandering of the story. It made me think it was about a boy named Haru (I wish the blurb didn’t spoil his second meeting with Eric and the big secret), but it’s not! The story revolves around Eric Ly, a 19-year-old queer Vietnamese man grieving his friend Daniel (an unstarted love story). Taking a gap year, Eric is aimless, unsure about applying to college or focusing on his future. His sister Jasmine has left for college and is slowly disappearing from his life as she focuses on her plans.

Then Daniel bumps into Haru, an eccentric, mysterious boy he spent a magical day with in Japan (the traditional festive parts are my favorite), and takes him to a cafe. But Haru abruptly disappears after their meeting and reappears the next day in his bedroom, making no sense unless he’s a figment of Eric's imagination. Why does he see Haru, and why is he drawn into his orbit, helping him get up at his lowest points? Did Haru come back to help him deal with his grief and find a purpose? But what if, once his mission is accomplished, Haru leaves his life like everyone else did?

The book’s focus keeps changing directions, and Eric's naïve decisions are frustrating! At moments, it’s hard to distinguish between reality and fantasy. The big mystery is very obvious, and I wish the author had focused more on that part. The family connection parts were also missing.

If the ending hadn’t made me cry so much and touched my heart, I would’ve rated it lower. But I loved the conclusion and seeing the character find his path and think more sensibly.

I didn’t enjoy this as much as the first book, but it's still a captivating, heartbreaking tearjerker with a touching queer love story. I recommend it to fans of the author, angsty romance, Eastern mythology, and YA fantasy lovers!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press / Wednesday Books for sharing this highly anticipated fantasy romance book’s digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I dunno if it's me or Thao, but this book just was not it.

I read You've Reached Sam back in 2021 and loved it; I even admitted in that review to crying so much that it tear-stained my glasses. I know typically author's sophomore authors are kinda similar to their debut, where the book follows some themes from its predecessor. Thao stated this directly in his acknowledgements, but some part of me wonders if he dreaded this, considering the themes of grief and loss in When Haru Was Here didn't feel as authentic as it did in his debut.

The characters felt so bland and boring. Eric floundered around for the first half before taking a nose dive after getting a job as a theater attendant. He meets these shitty coworkers who take him to rich people parties to climb the social ladder, but then he just ends up getting exploited by two different men, one of whom tried to SA him twice. That section of the book was so awful to read for me. It felt like Thao was trying to manipulate the reader into feeling bad for Eric by putting him in these situations.

What I'm about to reveal is the reason why I marked this whole review as spoilers, but I just have to talk about the ending because it's what bothered me the most.

Haru isn't dead. Eric was imagining a version of him he met in Japan, but then he ends up meeting the real Haru in the epilogue. That just annoyed me so much. I was trying to figure out what was up with Haru that I missed the actual plot twist, that Eric's sister Jasmine died shortly after Daniel. The twist smacked me right in the face, and I was so confused until I realized Eric was deluding to himself so the reader wouldn't catch on so easily. There were a couple hints in hindsight (i.e., she has a chronic illness, she somehow always knew to call or show up when Eric needed her to, the constant flashbacks to their childhood showing how much they loved each other, etc.), but this still was such a bad twist. Eric was already actively grieving Daniel's death over the course of the story, and when the surprise dead sister reveal did come, it felt so cheap and disengaged me from the story entirely. I dunno, I just feel like there could have been a better way this story could have been written.

The comparison between this book and Sam is going to be inevitable, but I will dig my heels into the ground and say Sam was done so much better. Julie grieving her boyfriend and getting to talk to him is so much more personable and heartbreaking than what Eric had with Haru. Not only was this Haru an illusion Eric made up, but fake Haru has no personality outside of wanting to be with Eric and that his family owns a paper store in Osaka. There's nothing to Eric and Haru's relationship outside of artificial attraction, a rather one-sided thing considering nothing that happened between them was ever real (And the fact they really do meet again makes me was to roll my eyes down into my skull).

Overall, When Haru Was Here didn't hit like Thao's debut for me. I wish Thao allowed himself to be more ambitious rather than do what was expected from the readers who loved You've Reached Sam. Maybe he will if he decides to write another book, but I dunno.

Similar to You've Reach Sam, When Haru Was Here, this book is about grief and how Eric deals with follow some recent events. While I was expecting to this to me just as emotional, it didn't quite hit the mark. I still however enjoyed reading Eric's story and I could not put it down. 4.5 stars.

This is my second book by the author and I’m sure I’m in the minority but I just can never get into this author’s writing. I never feel the things I’m supposed to feel. The writing felt disjointed to me and I never really quite knew what was real or not. I know the main character is an unreliable narrator but it just didn’t work for me. I just couldn’t get into this one. I’m sure others will really love it. It just wasn’t for me. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the arc in return for a honest review!

I'm really not sure how to feel about this one. Because I read it. And I didn't dislike reading it. But, there was never a point where I sat down and said "wow, I'm really loving this book." Most of the time I spent reading it, I felt apathetic. Things were happening, but I wasn't actually invested in any of it.

I think this stems from how disjointed the story as a whole was. We had so many different stories of grief and loss crammed into one book, and I don't feel like the connections were drawn clearly enough. I know that part of what When Haru Was Here was trying to explore was the tenuous meaning of what is 'real' and if this definition even matters, but I think it got lost along the way. With so many of the interactions being false or imagined, they lost some of their emotional value.

Maybe I'm just not the target reader for Thao's books. I'd enjoyed You've Reached Sam, but it didn't crush my heart. And while I enjoy it when a book hits me hard, I don't think Thao's writing has that ability for me. I can see some people loving this, but it's not something that I particularly enjoyed.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

The plot was harrowing, piecing together who is alive and who is watching over the protagonist. It was confusing at times but also made complete sense, working through grief and love.